"I... Ichigo... let me ask you... what are you going to do next? Do you have a way to disappear from in front of them?" Rukia asked worriedly, looking down at Yamamoto and the others.
"Huh? A way? What way is needed? Can't we just run away directly?" Ichigo said casually.
"Don't be ridiculous! The opponents are all Captains! There's no way we can escape!!" Rukia shouted.
"Then we'll beat them down and then escape." Ichigo said nonchalantly.
"And not just you, but Orihime, Chad, Ganju, Hanataro... any companion who helped me..."
"I'll rescue them all!"
'You've really gotten stronger, Ichigo.' Ichigo's gaze and words all made Rukia clearly feel his growth.
Thud, thud, thud...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Just then, the sound of footsteps and rapid breathing suddenly appeared.
And this sudden commotion once again drew everyone's attention.
"It's you, Renji!" Rukia exclaimed incredulously.
The person who suddenly appeared was none other than Renji. That was why Rukia was surprised. She had clearly felt Renji's Reiatsu earlier… it was extremely weak, almost undetectable. In that state, it was lucky he wasn't dead. She never expected him to appear here again.
"Rukia!"
Renji called out.
"That's great, you're still alive, Renji. That's truly wonderful..." Seeing Renji alive, Rukia couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
And just then, Ichigo suddenly lifted Rukia with one hand.
"Huh?" Rukia looked dumbfounded: "Hey, hey! Ichigo, what are you doing?!"
"Catch! Renji!!"
Ichigo shouted loudly, then suddenly threw Rukia with force towards the Renji below.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!" Rukia couldn't help but shout in panic.
"You bastard!" Renji cursed, then scrambled to catch Rukia.
Bang!
Rukia collided with Renji.
"Ichigo! You idiot..." Renji's complaint was cut off by Ichigo before he could finish.
"Take her and leave!" Ichigo interrupted.
Ichigo said solemnly, "I'll hold them off. You take Rukia and run like crazy. Remember, this is your mission. Don't let go even if it means death!"
Hearing Ichigo's words, Renji was momentarily stunned, then gave Ichigo a deep look, before decisively turning, hugging Rukia, and using all his strength to execute Shunpo, running towards the distance.
"Renji... Renji..." Rukia disagreed with this approach, but Renji just held her tightly, preventing her from breaking free, and ran towards the distance without a word.
Watching Renji and Rukia run away, Sui-Feng couldn't help but shout, "What are you all standing there for?! Chase them! All Lieutenants, move out!"
Hearing Sui-Feng's command, the Lieutenants present all gave chase towards Renji.
Whoosh!
Ichigo's figure flickered, blocking their path.
"Get lost!" Ichigo said coldly.
Seeing Ichigo's 'arrogant' attitude, the Lieutenants were instantly angered.
Isane: "Run, Itegumo!!"
Sasakibe: "Pierce, Gonryomaru!!"
Omaeda: "Crush, Gegetsuburi!!"
Each of the three was full of fighting spirit, planning to unleash their special moves immediately.
But then...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In short order, Ichigo directly punched each of the three, knocking them all to the ground.
And that was that. The three fell unconscious directly, knocked out.
But if Toshiro were present, he would definitely suspect Sasakibe of holding back.
Even if Isane and Omaeda were easily defeated by Ichigo, it was normal. But Sasakibe possessed hidden Captain-level strength.
Moreover, his Zanpakuto, like Toshiro's, had the power to change the weather. Sasakibe's strength was probably even greater than an average Captain. To be similarly floored by one punch from Ichigo, besides holding back, there was really no other reason.
Just as Ichigo had defeated the three, another figure instantly appeared behind him.
Sensing the movement behind him, Ichigo immediately turned to defend.
Clang!
Swords clashed, sparks flew.
"I told you, I can see your attacks now, Kuchiki Byakuya!" Ichigo said to the person before him.
"Nee-san!"
While Ichigo and Byakuya were fighting, the 13th Division's Third Seat, Kiyone, ran towards her sister Isane, who had been knocked down by Ichigo.
Whoosh!
Sui-Feng's figure flickered, directly appearing beside the running Kiyone, then raised her leg to kick Kiyone.
Seeing this, Ukitake in the distance quickly shouted, "Wait! Sui-Feng!!"
Seeing Sui-Feng completely unmoved, Ukitake moved to rush over.
But just then, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Don't move." Yamamoto said sternly.
"Genryusai-sensei!" Ukitake couldn't help but stop.
"It's fine if Lieutenants are killed while capturing the criminal, others can naturally take their place. We'll settle accounts with them slowly later. But..."
"What I cannot forgive is you two. As Captains, to do such a thing is absolutely unforgivable!!" Yamamoto glared angrily at Ukitake and Kyoraku.
Yamamoto's anger wasn't entirely feigned. Although the situation was developing more smoothly than planned, with Ichigo and the others appearing in time to disrupt the execution, and even Kyoraku and Ukitake's actions being quite favorable to the plan…
This didn't mean Yamamoto wasn't angry.
Although Kyoraku and Ukitake's actions were, to some extent, beneficial to the plan, Yamamoto didn't remember telling the two of them the truth about this matter.
This also meant that even if this incident weren't Aizen's conspiracy, Kyoraku and Ukitake would still choose to oppose him and help the Ryoka save Rukia. Thinking of this, Yamamoto couldn't help but feel furious inside.
As Yamamoto said, he wasn't very concerned about Lieutenants. He thought that even if a few Lieutenants died, the Soul Society's reserve could easily replenish them.
But Captains were different, because their most important combat power was these Captains, not to mention that Kyoraku and Ukitake were disciples close to him.
That's why Yamamoto was so angry about their 'betrayal'.
"Oh dear, oh dear, the old man's anger is still terrifying. It seems the only option is to make a run for it, Jushiro." Kyoraku said, pretending to be scared.
Then Kyoraku suddenly grabbed his good friend Ukitake and jumped off the cliff... ah no, he pulled Ukitake to jump down from Sokyoku Hill.
"Shunsui... Jushiro..." Yamamoto watched meaningfully as the two fell towards the bottom of Sokyoku Hill, then flickered and disappeared.
"Shunsui! Wait! My subordinates are still up there!" During the descent, Ukitake couldn't help but shout to Kyoraku.
"Calm down. If we clash with the old man now, we'll all die!" Kyoraku shouted.
"And don't worry, you should have sensed it too, right? There's someone else rushing over right now..."
Just as Sui-Feng was about to deliver the killing blow to Kiyone, a figure suddenly rushed from afar at extreme speed.
After sensing the movement, Sui-Feng had just turned around when the newcomer had already reached her, then grabbed her and fell down Sokyoku Hill as well.
"Let go! Who are you?" During the fall, Sui-Feng couldn't help but shout.
"Oh dear, oh dear, your temper is still so impatient." The newcomer pulled off the cloth covering their face.
"It's you!"
"Yoruichi!"
"Yo! Long time no see, Sui-Feng!"